This chapter warrants a trigger warning for allusion to rape, child abuse and while things are not hardcore, there are details down here that could make some readers uncomfortable.
This chapter kicks off with angsty silver/gold, angsty Ravus and Lunoct fluff to end on a good note.
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Stranded
Chapter 18 – Wallowing gets you nowhere
"Hey," Cindy tried speaking up as she saw Prompto sitting in the living room, toying with his camera instead of doing squats or push-ups for once.
Prompto nearly dropped his camera from the sheer shock of being greeted all of a sudden by the mechanic. He hadn't expected Cindy to linger around after Luna had left for her date.
"Hey," he greeted her back, clearly hesitant.
"Any cool new pics recently?"
He shrugged, slowly shifting a little further on the couch as she stepped into the room. It was meant to give her some space, but he noticed the way her eyes widened slightly. She was standing with her back tense and clenching her fingers too tightly, her knuckles white in between the bandages covering her cuts.
"Is… everything okay with you?"
Her panic only seemed to grow at that, Cindy looking around, crossing her arms for a few seconds as if to regain her countenance and shaking her head yes and no, settling for a shrug of her own.
"I don't want to bother you," she started. "I just thought I owed you… an apology for the last time we spoke."
Prompto couldn't help nodding his approval, fighting against a knot in his throat.
"How are pictures going to help with that?" he asked her, almost accusingly.
"I'm not really good with ice breakers," she admitted.
Her shoulders were drawn inwards, her hair tangled, and he'd noticed the dark bags beneath her eyes. It hurt to see her like this. Why did it still hurt?
"I could pick some ice for you to break," he whispered, wincing a little since he hadn't found an actual play on words to cut through the tension.
"I think I broke stuff enough as it is," Cindy admitted, sitting down on the neighboring couch.
Prompto shifted in his seat, his nervousness growing a little more at the heaviness hanging in the air. Cindy crossed her legs, wearing a baggy long-sleeved shirt with shorts that went as far as her knees. It seemed too long for her, but the gunman wasn't going to comment on it. He still desperately wanted the tensed silence to end.
"You've turned into quite the klutz," he tried, glad to see her brief but still-there smile.
She hit her thighs with both hands, as though she was making up her mind and Prompto carefully put his camera back on the table, trying to get his imagination under control as to what she could say when her mouth parted open.
"I'm sorry for reacting so badly. Those words triggered... a lot of bad memories."
"Figured as much," he groaned despite how calm he tried to remain.
Cindy sighed, wringing her fingers together, her lips almost disappearing from how hard she was pinching them.
"What I said about pitying you…" she began, making him flinch a little.
It might have been the cruelest part of her rejection and if there was a moment to summon the walls he usually held around his heart, this was it, but Prompto sensed vulnerability from her on-top of her guilt.
"I've had a pretty pitiful life so far, so there's no need to feel bad."
"I still hurt you. And I am very sorry."
"How am I supposed to answer to that?"
"There's no answer needed. I don't want to defend my case or even hear that you forgive me. I mean, I'd like that, but…"
"Which one? Defending your case?"
He wasn't ready to forgive her, but he'd be damned to pass up the occasion of understanding her better. She still interested him. He missed her warmth in his bed on the longer nights, which was why he desperately tried to make himself too exhausted to toss and turn around for more than a few minutes.
"You want me to?"
Their eyes locked together as she spelled out her question, Prompto realizing the first answers coming to his mind were about many other wants beyond getting answers from her. But the whole apology was by no means a signal that she was interested in "getting back together", was it? She blushed a little as he simply nodded, her hands flattening against her thighs and mindlessly toying with the fabric of her shorts.
"It's… It goes way back and is not something I've opened up about to many people…"
"If you're not comfortable…" he started offering.
"I'm not," she cut him off instantly, her voice rising high enough for him to jump in surprise. "I'm not," she repeated a bit more slowly this time, her arms drawn in, tightly wound around herself, "but I might never be and maybe getting it off my chest would help…"
A shiver ran through her shoulders and Prompto fought against his urge to step up till he could sit next to her. She needed space and he needed it too. She was starting to remind him of a wounded animal, who'd been trapped for too long. The knot in his throat was so large, the fact his voice was loud enough to be heard surprised him.
"Three words and you lose all ability to use tools without hurting yourself half the time?"
Cindy hung her head, nodding weakly. She'd stopped playing with the fabric of her shorts, her nails digging into it instead. As though she needed a small amount of pain to handle this conversation.
"Maybe I'm the pathetic one."
"I'll take you on," Prompto suggested, unable to take his eyes off her. She had started rocking herself from side to side and he knew those signs. She looked about ready to jump out of her own skin. Her nervous movement stopped as she frowned, trying to figure out what he could have been meaning.
"Like… a competition?"
"Surely I can find a secret dark enough to make you a little more comfortable about speaking up. How far back should I go?"
Her nervous reply almost sounded like a question and it was endearing and distressing all at the same time. "You don't have to?"
Prompto cleared his throat, careful of keeping his eyes open to keep the pictures coming with the memory at bay.
"I spent three months unable to eat by myself. I was plugged into so many machines, it felt like I wasn't even a living being anymore. I can still hear them beeping sometimes when I fall out of focus."
"Why would they even…?!"
"A few of us clones served as organ donors for the best models. And our father tested out whether he could cultivate fresh organs in a few of us after removal. More efficient I guess."
Cindy looked ready to faint now, Prompto realizing this might have been too dark a memory.
"I lack a kidney and that's about it," he said, hoping it would help.
"Three months?" she repeated, a hand pressed against her neck.
"They grew me in a tube for most of my infancy, so it's not like it was that bad. I could have grown that missing kidney back and developed cancer like the others…"
"Prompto."
"I'm pretty bad at this…" he sighed, running one hand through his hair.
"No. No, it's just… scary that you can bring up such a story just like that," she said, trying to snap her fingers and failing thanks to the bandages on her thumb. "And be so calm about it."
"I'm not saying it was nice. But do you really want details?"
Cindy shook her head wildly and he scratched at the back of his neck, not sure what else he could say. The silence came back, almost heavier than before.
"I have more, but I don't think it's helping…"
She gave him a weak smile.
"How did you feel during those three months?"
That gave him pause and his throat was too tight when he answered, being as truthful as he could.
"It wasn't quite different from the usual worthlessness I had to go through. But I was very helpless. I had tubes poking literally everywhere. The nurses called me by my number. I couldn't move. Couldn't see my mom either. I could barely talk, so no screaming. Might sound crazy, but screaming helps a lot with pain. At least, it did when I was a child."
"Wait… When was…?"
"I wasn't ten yet, it's all I know. I think they kept me open for half a month to have better access and I could see the bodies of the failed experiments being rolled out every few weeks. If I hadn't been on drugs, I might have gone mad."
He had been staring at his hands as the memories came back, flooding his senses an instant and it was Cindy's strangled gasp that brought him back to the present.
"Oh my gods… That's…"
"My sample of a pitiful life. I have more where this one came from, but I don't think you want to hear it."
"Prom…"
"You can call me 3234."
Her nervous laugh barely eased his nerves, Cindy replacing a strand of hair behind one ear before joining her hands in her lap.
"I don't think I can hear more. But I can offer a sample of my past too, if only to make this fair. I… I was about 6, maybe 7. Should have been starting grade school if I wasn't self-tutored because my paw-paw moved all over the world with me in toe."
Prompto thought he'd been ready, but he'd been fooling himself. His eyes blinked as she went on and held herself a little tighter, forcing her voice to stay even.
"My grandfather had to work a lot and would let his friends look after me when he couldn't. One of them… He called himself my uncle. Insisted on buying me dresses and girly stuff. And taking me to his room so I could try whichever ensemble he had prepared for me."
The look in her eyes told him she couldn't handle being interrupted and he listened, biting on his tongue as he paled a little more.
"He said he loved me and called me Cin all the time. He called the time we spend together our little experiments. He'd pick any object he'd fancy at the moment, a glass, a bottle, the hilt of a hammer…"
Prompto shook his head as she gestured to herself, her voice shifting.
"It's very hard to explain why you have splinters in your thighs. He'd made me bite on my own hands so I wouldn't make a noise and I actually broke a finger one time. It's still crooked," she explained, lifting her right hand and raising her ring finger.
"Damn… That's…"
He had no words, but she had a few left in her.
"I never told my grandfather, because that…" her whole frame trembled, Cindy quickly collecting herself, digging her nails into her thigh once more. "…that man had convinced me it was my fault. How was I supposed to know any better?" she let out a self-derisive laugh, Prompto shaking from the sheer effort of staying where he was. Something was burning inside of him, a violent need to shelter her, because this… No one should ever have to go through such manipulation and abuse.
"He'd say I liked it," she went on, the trembling ruling over her voice. "He would repeat it over and over. I was the only kid around those gangs. It stopped with the bastard dying in some freak accident, I don't know if my luck had turned or…"
She licked her lips, too pale for comfort and there was no need to say more. Had her grandfather killed that monster to protect her?
"Shit, Cindy."
"I have been able to be with guys since that. I can do sex, I mean, I'm mostly over this crap."
"So what? You freak out when a guy respects you?"
She let out a shaky breath, biting her lips as she blinked too quickly and nodded to his question.
"It's pathetic and wrong, I know it. I don't want to be… Those three words terrify me. It's like a part of my brain is broken and no matter how many things I fix…"
His heart ached to step across the room and hold her, but he was too scared to move.
"Did I… I reminded you of that bastard?"
She shook her head harder.
"I said you triggered memories, but I wouldn't have allowed you to get that close if… You're nice and careful with me. Even gentle and I don't know how to handle it. I've felt out of place and wrong, so I wanted to help you, but as things shifted, I started wanting more than the simple fling I normally allow myself. But you saw how I was just from a freaking confession!"
He could see the tears in her eyes and she was blinking so much, it was hard to tell whether she could still see him or not. His throat was a knotted ball of yarn with needles prickling him from the inside and his heart…
"Tell me you didn't keep that to yourself all this time."
Her head started nodding, bringing his heart to a thundering halt. She trusted him or well felt bad enough to open up about such a thing to him?
"Not even Luna?!"
"I'm more than just a victim!" she tried defending herself, as though she needed to.
Prompto couldn't stand still any longer, crossing over to her in a heartbeat, breaking a little more as she gasped at his approach.
"Can I hug you? I… I can't stand…"
"You should hate me," Cindy protested. "I was supposed to apologize, not… turn on your pity switch."
"You've been having nightmares, haven't you?"
"So have you," she shot back, angrily drying her eyes with her sleeve.
"Cindy, please. What I hate the most is seeing you in such a state. I swear I'll stop at comforting you, I…"
Her sobs got stronger at that and she reached out for him, muttering his name as best as she could despite her uneven voice.
"I'm scared, Prompto. I think I like you and I'm terrified and such an awful person for feeling like that."
He could feel her tears on his shirt and her hands holding on to him for dear life as a hurricane of emotions wreak through the both of them. He kneeled on the couch by her side, hugging her close, his gestures tentative and his heart a quivering mess as his mind still processed what she'd said. People being nice scared her. She might like him and it scared her and it wasn't because he was a clone, it was because her views on relationships had been skewed and eroded so badly…
"Does… Is liking you okay?"
"I evade you for weeks and with just one sob-story you…?"
"I'm trying to find a balance," Prompto tried reassuring her.
It was like their roles had been switched. He'd always been the one in clear distress and suddenly it was her and he hated it.
"I want to be fine. I'm sorry, I should be fine, I'm over this, I just thought… You needed to know, I'll be fine, I don't need you to care…"
But if I like you, that means I want to be better than what I was made into.
"Hey, listen to me, okay? Stuff in our past can still hurt. It's okay if you do. Friends are there to help when we're down, aren't they?"
She desperately tried to halt her crying, blinking furiously and parting from him with her hands sheltering her face from view, mostly to hide her pathetic sniffling.
"Friends?"
"If that's okay with you?"
A question died in the back of her throat, Cindy wondering if it was his way of telling her she wasn't forgiven yet. That would only be fair. She hadn't meant to ask for forgiveness by sharing this part of her past. She nodded her approval, her arms tentatively reaching out for him. He hugged her, comforted by the fact she returned his embrace. She still felt the need to apologize but soon enough, her sobs died down, the pair simply sitting there, snuggled close.
"Can we stay like this for a bit longer?" she found herself asking.
"Sure."
He shifted around a little to be more comfortable, clearly unsure of how close he could hold her.
"You don't need to be extra delicate with me, you know?"
"What if I want to? Plus, that way I can ask that you're gentle with me too," he observed, the teasing in his voice only half there. "Like, maybe don't evade me until you need to confess the worst thing you've been through in your life?"
"You're actually… the first person I've told about this."
His breath caught a little. This meant a lot and he wasn't sure how to respond.
"I'm glad if I could help you, Cin…dy," he winced at his omission. "Sorry."
Her laugh came out at that, her hair brushing against his neck as she shook her head.
"There you have it. Don't be awkward about it, Prompto. I let Luna get away with the nickname."
"I don't want to use it if it makes you feel bad."
"I guess we need a new nickname then."
She didn't make any suggestion and Prompto reflected upon it for a moment, inspiration coming right when he was about to give up.
"How about Dee?"
Cindy had to look up at him, and since she didn't back away that much from her spot between his arms, their faces ended up far too close for comfort, but it was Prompto who blushed the most while she smiled at him.
"I like it."
He grinned, biting back on his impression that she looked like a little girl. He didn't want to let his imagination paint a picture of what she'd been through when she was a vulnerable child. It was far too easy thanks to his own messed-up childhood and he wanted to erase those memories from her mind. Maybe that way the pictures could leave him too one day. This nickname he'd picked for her was a first step in that direction.
"Alright then, Dee. My legs are getting numb so what do you say we take our minds off with some abject tv show?"
"Plan approved."
It felt a bit awkward as they parted from each other's embrace, neither of them sure of how they should consider the other. Prompto was holding her darkest secret and she'd seen him beyond vulnerable time and again. Reaching the previous intimacy they'd shared would be hard and he wasn't sure she wanted it. He had her trust and as they sat side by side on the other couch to turn on the TV, they both realized she had to earn his trust back. What they needed was time.
…
Ravus had known Galdyn Quay was an expensive place to stay in, but he'd never expected he'd have to camp next to it instead of taking the cheapest room. He had left the capital with some money, but since Ignis wasn't there to keep it balanced and they had no idea how long their trip would last, Gladiolus had insisted on being reasonable for the time being. Iris and her brother had been keeping to themselves most of the time and Ravus knew they were planning something. Iris had insisted on training with him for three hours every single day for the past week and while she kicked his butt a few times, it was clear she wanted to hone her skills.
Gladiolus had been training on his own or taking on small hunts by himself. He was keeping his distance with the prince and it was pretty clear what would happen to Ravus if his bodyguard lost his cool another time. A few of their dinners had been butchered creatures, Iris looking pale as she prepared them.
Ravus had fixed his broken wrist and ribs with a boosted energy drink, mixing far more ingredients than his father ever suggested was healthy. He needed enhancers to keep up with Iris during the training, spending his nights reading by the campfire instead of sleeping. His brother had been judged worthy by their ancestors, the axe of the conqueror and the sword of the wise gone from their respective tombs. That had to mean Ravus was unworthy, since Regis had never mentioned anything about sharing the royal arms.
Thinking about his father hurt a little more every day. If he hadn't been feeling so defeated, Ravus would have run back to Insomnia already. But that was the best way to alert Ardyn. Through his readings and researching, Ravus was trying to put a few things together. He'd been wrong about too many things not to go back over the basics. Reading over the Astrals was almost comforting, despite the idea his brother was probably allied with a god-summoner right now.
He's hurt too. He's too far to save our dad and half crippled because you were too selfish to see your family for what it was.
Was jealousy so integrant to his heart, there was nothing else he could feel? He'd missed Noctis time and again, but the things he'd done had broken every bridge remaining between them and now…
He dreaded the idea of seeing him again. Ignis rushing off to warn Noctis about the current situation was bound to result in his older brother's return.
I can't have him picking up after my messes like I always did, Ravus thought angrily.
"Rave, it's your turn to feed the birds," Iris called out to him.
He'd been daydreaming on his own little rock, looking out to the sea stretching forever, wondering just how far Altissia really was. He knew the distance, he'd seen the maps, but it felt as though he knew nothing anymore. He shifted to his feet, holding back a grunt and tried catching Iris's eyes, but she was already focusing on dinner. Their talks were few and curt. Her initial pity was shifting to a mix of resentment and contrite compassion. He had no idea what to tell her or what feat he could pull off to right things up.
Losing her was worse than losing himself. His mind was teetering by the edge of depression and self-harm, Ravus resenting himself more and more with each passing day. He'd been wrong. He was wrong in every sense of the word… Walking up to the birds, he tried to muster less self-derisive thoughts. At the very least, the chocobos kweeed when he gave them attention. His mount was very gentle and quiet, almost too patient with him since Ravus had been losing focus far more than he should have. But he'd been lacking in everything else, why not stay on the fail train longer?
"Don't drag your feet," he warned himself.
Iris needed more out of him and he needed some sort of accomplishment outside of riding after the Amicitias without falling off the saddle or helping a few nobodies with their broken cars.
Even my thoughts are condescending…
He barely held back a sigh, emptying the gysahl greens in front of the birds, the saline air rushing around him, stinging his eyes. Galdyn was too warm, too sunny for his state of mind and Gladio insisted on staying here unless Ravus decided he wanted to get another royal arm. They had a choice between the Balouve Mines and heading to Duscae, which mean getting further away from Insomnia and leaving their family and loved ones on their own.
"What are you daydreaming about again?" Gladio barked at him.
Ravus almost jumped in fright, fighting against his instinctive urge to hide behind the chocobo at the giant's approach.
"I…"
He'd been blurting half a sound so much lately, Ravus worried he might be stuck in a perpetual cowering disposition now.
"You need your butt kicked to find your authority once more?!"
"Lay off me, will you? It's not like you weren't a jerk with me every now and then in the past 13 years. No need to push yourself with payback when you just drop me off a cliff."
"I'm tired of hearing those invitations to cripple you. I'm still your bodyguard. And you're well on your way to look like a freaking corpse."
His disapproval was clear and Ravus was left to wonder how Gladio could be this loyal after what he'd done to him? How could he muster the will to even care anymore? Every time Ravus saw his own reflection, he wanted to punch it into tiny fragments of himself. Until his own body could be as small as he felt. And he was angry at himself for giving up like this.
Betraying his family and friends couldn't be all there was to him. But falling into abject self-depreciation and the need to lower himself so he could hide along ants couldn't be the real him either. He was a prince, he was supposed to be strong, in control, dashing and charming and reliable.
How does someone become reliable? he wondered.
Walking back up to the camp, he held his shoulders out and his head higher, realizing his neck was hurting from all the looking down and away from his travel companions.
"Hey, Iris?"
She looked at him, her eyes a little wide. She had been sorting through their ingredients but had not started preparing dinner just yet.
"Yes?"
"Would you… come fishing with me? A change on the menu could be nice."
Iris frowned, although the hint of a smile was showing on her face.
"You never liked fishing," she observed.
"But you do, and I'll clean up the fish for you."
He hated how eager he sounded, but the fact she hadn't thrown his offer down already gave him hope.
"All of them?"
Her smile was clear now and Ravus simply nodded in answer.
"We do have fishing rods packed up."
"I'll get everything we need and carry it," he instantly offered.
"Alright, I'll find a basket or something. Gladio, you'll be fine without us?"
Gladiolus grunted in response, focusing on applying some ointment on his leg. His hunt had gone well, but he needed to trust in them more and stop acting solo.
The teenagers gathered everything they need, which wasn't exactly much and made the brief walk to the quay next to the fishing store.
"You're not pushing yourself for my sake, are you?"
"The idea just came on me all of a sudden. I'm glad you agreed."
"Seeing you in motion is quite an improvement, Rave."
"I guess that's a start, huh?"
Upon sitting down and preparing their lines, Iris couldn't help teasing him. He lacked the knowledge of which lure was better for the fish out there in Galdyn's waters and since he'd suggested the activity himself, he handled her teasing much better than normally. Once their line were cast, Ravus remembered why he hated fishing. He wasn't quite patient, but the contemplation was appealing.
Iris caught a fish after a mere ten minutes, while his line stubbornly remained still.
"You sure you can handle this?" Iris asked, pushing her shoulder into his arm cheekily. Instinctively, he reached out to wrap an arm around her, freezing mid-gesture as he remembered he had yet to be forgiven.
Iris shook her head at him.
"I'm not going to fall off."
"I know that! Sorry," he quickly added, feeling sheepish. Iris encouraged him with a simple nod and he went on, his voice a lot calmer this time, "I think I need this. Something to help me calm down even for a bit."
He also needed more of her smiles and at least one bear hug from her, but Ravus knew better than to push his luck.
"Then try relaxing a little."
He did try, hard, and for about 20 minutes, they sat in companionable silence. A fish bit and he somehow landed it with only a little of her help, but was forced to let the small creature back into the water, since it was far too small to make up a decent meal.
"Guess you're off the hook if you're brilliant enough to not bite again, barramundi."
Iris laughed at that, to the point she had to put her rod in his hands until she found her breath again.
"What?"
"It felt really out of character. And you looked so disappointed."
"I'd like to make a good catch…" he pouted, her laugh stretching at the sight.
But as he turned the idea in his head of being left off the hook, he understood where his deception was coming.
"I've been quite a fool with Ardyn, haven't I? Buying to every one of his words."
Her face fell, the young girl heaving a long breath.
"I had told you the man was creepy."
"I could see that. I thought I saw everything, but he baited me and I bit."
"Not quite perceptive of you, but he did fool your father all this time to be on the council."
Ravus sighed, understanding these were the only consoling words he might get.
"I really suck, moping about my sorry ass even now."
"Rave…"
"Don't say my name like that."
"Like what?"
"I know you care, Iris. You're an angel to do so and… hearing you say my name like that has always made me want to kiss you," he admitted.
He entirely gave up on looking at his line, turning his head to her, taking in her light blush and the way she quickly shook her head in the hope her flush would die down.
"I can handle a peek on the cheek," she declared, worrying her lower lip. "I meant it when I said I still love you. I'm just… going to need time."
"I intend to respect that. I'm so grateful you're willing to stick with me."
"Hard not to when you look about ready to break at a moment's notice."
"Ouch. I'll work on that."
"I know you will. Beneath everything you throw at the outside world, you're a nice person."
"Don't hold back for my sake."
She had a retort ready for him, but her line pulled hard enough to snap her attention back to the water. She'd been leaning forward more than intended at first and was surprised by a violent tug, yelping at the force of the fish pulling against her. Ravus reacted without thinking, letting go of his own rod to steady her with both arms.
"Careful, it'll pull us both at this rate."
"No way, I got you."
All his uncertainty was gone and at that moment, she recognized the Ravus she knew. The guy she knew would always have her back. Another violent tug and she let the line go as far as she dared, Ravus holding her as she leaned to the side.
"That thing's a monster."
"Let's call it dinner!" Iris retorted, focusing on her reeling and coordination.
When the fish finally broke the surface, they both gaped at its size, redoubling their combined effort to reel him in. By the time it was out of the water, Ravus was kneeling by her side on the quay, one hand helping her grip on the reel, his other arm tightly wound around her waist. They were panting a little, Iris leaning back into him after slamming her fist against the fish's head.
"It's like… 45 inches?"
"No way I can beat that."
"No way Gladio can eat it all by himself!" she laughed.
And for the smallest moment, it felt like nothing had changed between them. No trust was broken, and they were just best friends sharing an exciting catch.
…
Luna woke up with a warm body pressed against her, cocooned in the embrace of her fiancé and feeling just the kind of soreness she'd come to like since she'd meet Noctis. She was exhausted and would need a couple of naps to get back to her feet, but she was grateful for the night and wouldn't gave back even a second of it in exchange for sleep.
Noctis breathing was quiet, his snoring light but persistent enough to keep her awake. She tried pushing into his shoulder a little, hoping that could help, because while quite comfortable, she would have liked to drift to sleep once more. The snores stopped altogether, but she could tell he was waking up from the slight movement and the way his left arm pulled her closer to him.
"Morning," she whispered.
"Morning," he sighed against her neck.
His warm breath gave her goosebumps and she started shuffling around to get a peek at his face, only to freeze almost instantly.
"Are you okay?"
"I feel… ill."
Noctis gestured to pull away from her, which had her instantly pleading to stay where he was.
"If I move, I'll throw up."
"Which mean I should get you a bucket or something…"
"I don't want to be sick. What sort of timing is that?"
"Luna, you're pregnant. Getting a little morning sickness would be normal."
"But I haven't been sick once!"
Noctis didn't insist, carefully holding her, brushing her hair as she fought against the uncomfortable feeling.
"I'm not going to feel insulted or anything if that's what you're worried about."
"I'll be fine. Keep me distracted."
Noctis wondered for a few seconds, kissing her ear before to tell her his ideas.
"Maybe we should talk about the baby actually. Or the wedding. Yesterday, we skipped both of those questions."
"Wedding first. Although… I'm not sure where we should have it…"
"We're talking about something small, right? You and me, Cindy, Prompto, my friend Ignis and whoever is presiding the ceremony."
"I'd prefer it small too. I don't want the empire jumping on us. If there hadn't been Leviathan, I'd say I would have love it here, but… Maybe you know places in Lucis that would work better?"
It took him a second to think of the perfect spot.
"There's a grove hidden in Duscae. It's a pretty magical space. Once swept off all the daemons lurking inside."
"That sounds exciting!"
Luna shifted a little too quickly to smile at him, her face turning a little green at the motion.
"Oh please, I was doing so well."
She held her stomach with one hand and covered her mouth with the other one.
"Luna, it's okay."
"Tell me about Lucis. Any other people you'd like to be there?"
"Well, it'd be nice to have my father with us. I know he's going to love you. But I don't think it'll be possible." He quickly added, to make sure her mood would darken for too long, "you don't want to invite anyone else? Monica maybe?"
"I need her to look after Tenebrae. And I'll have Cindy and you. I think I might ask Shiva to officiate for us. This way we don't need to find a lawman and bribe him into secrecy."
"People will know you're my wife, Luna. But I agree that keeping it to ourselves will be better for the time being."
She squeezed his hand, shivering under the bright look in his eyes. His love for her was almost pouring out from his body and it still amazed her.
"How long would it take to reach that grove?"
"A couple weeks," he grimaced. "We already have a car for us in Lucis, Ignis made sure of that. I don't think you should ride chocobos in your state."
"Oh, it's started," Luna rolled her eyes at him. "Don't go believing I'm going to stop being myself just because I'm pregnant."
"I know that already. Which means I must look after you from even closer."
"Noct…"
"I don't think I'm overbearing yet. I just want you safe. Both of you."
His hand covered her abdomen.
"I hope I won't look like a balloon by the time we have everything ready for the wedding to happen."
"You're barely showing yet. Let me have a good look at you."
"You looked at me plenty last night," she tried protesting despite laughing.
"I might never see you enough."
Noctis pulled the sheets off them both, raising himself on one elbow to detail everything he could about her. His bad hand traced her ribs, the under-curve of her left breast, the flat dip of her navel. Luna shivered, wondering how his loving stare could make her feel this warm even she was exposed to the colder air of the room.
He found a red spot on one of her thighs, frowning a little.
"That's not my doing, is it?"
Luna stretched her neck, raising her leg a little, barely noticing the sickness was gone.
"That's… just the beginning of a zit. They've been sprouting all over me unless I use cream. I must have forgotten with how excited I was about our date."
"There's no need to feel so self-aware. I'm far from flawless."
"My skin is already transparent in enough spaces, I don't need bumps except for the future baby bump. But my hormones are all over the place and the doctors said it was normal."
"I love you, Luna. Don't go forgetting it."
"I shall try. You know I love you, Noct?"
"I tend to forget," he teased her, his hand stroking the pale hairs pointing between her legs.
Her eyes widened as the touch shifted further south, Luna gripping his wrist to halt him before he could have her losing her mind again.
"Am I the only one with sore hips?" she asked, blushing.
"I hurt everywhere," Noctis admitted. "But it's my favorite kind of pain."
Her blush only grew to a full flush, reaching her collarbone in that way he'd always found adorable.
"What's alluring about hearing me say I want to throw up first thing in the morning?"
"Thinking you're slowly building us a child. That my seed took root inside of you and that you're willing to be mine."
She blinked, her face too warm.
"You don't know what to say, Lun?"
She shook her head no and then yes, her smile tentative as she fought against too many overwhelming feelings. One month ago, he couldn't care for the baby, but she knew he didn't force the tenderness in his voice right now. He wanted to enjoy every minute with her, they were still riding on the wave of being alive after the violent encounters they'd been through.
"Can you hold me, my love?"
The pet name struck him, his grin melting a little.
"Always, Luna."
To be continued…
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And another chapter done! I have been meaning to write on Unexpected more, and have been working on Crystal ties, but Stranded is at a really nice stage for the Noct/Luna. I also happen to have a shitload of work on my hands right now and am stressed out, so my updates will remain infrequent as I try to stay afloat and catch some advance upon my thesis work.
I hope you liked this chapter. 😊